I believe that Steampunk is more than just brass and watchparts. It's finding a way to combine the past and the future in an aesthetic pleasing yet still punkish way. It's living a life that looks old-fashioned, yet speaks to the future. It's taking the detritus of our modern technological society and remaking it into useful things. Join me as I search for items for my house that combine the scientific romanticism of the Victorians with our real present and imagined future.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Lord British, aka Richard Garriot, is one of my hometown's techno-celeb, and game producer extraordinaire. His home, Britannia Manor, is a place of legend (and the location of famous Halloween parties). What a surprise it was, then, when reading through November's Fast Company, to discover an article about Garriot which included pictures of his home.

In front of Garriot is a brass model of the galaxy. The left hand side objects are not very clear -- upon consultation with various family members who know old electronics we think there's a test kit on the bottom shelf and perhaps an old Bang * Olfsen equipment on the middle shelf. On the upper right there's an hourglass and a metronome, on the lower right shelf is a anniversary clock (also known as a 400 day clock) and a collection of old cameras. I can't quite tell what's on the middle right shelf -- perhaps a stereoscopic viewer? A slide carousel? A balance scale?

Glass eyes, and something neat that even my power engineering father-in-law couldn't identify -- it has alligator clips, one of those little rotating turbine type things (you've probably seen glass globes that you set in the sunlight that have the same sort of thing inside).

Ok, so the shrunken head is a bit grotesque for my taste, but the cylinder on the right is a Curta mechanical calculator and the camera on the left is probably a technical field camera. Random chemistry equipment on the upper right, and the glass eyes again in the lower right.

There's some more material on the house online, so I'll try to do another post soon with the best of it.

Friday, November 16, 2007

I've fallen in love with the Project Gutenberg editions of Scientific American Supplement. Festooned with illustrations of lovely contraptions, it records daft ideas alongside real advances. Perhaps the best part, however, is the prose.

It is of no use to liberate any of the smaller insects; every fly, removed from the leaf upon which it had been feeding, returned immediately it was at liberty to do so, and walked down the fatal cup as though drawn to it by a species of irresistible fascination.

It is not alone that flies and other small insects are overpowered by the fluid which exudes from the cord in question. Even large insects succumb to it, although of course not so quickly. Mrs. Treat says: "A large cockroach was feeding on the secretion of a fresh leaf, which had caught but little or no prey. After feeding a short time the insect went down the tube so tight that I could not dislodge it, even when turning the leaf upside down and knocking it quite hard. It was late in the evening when I observed it enter; the next morning I cut the tube open; the cockroach was still alive, but it was covered with a secretion produced from the inner surface of the tube, and its legs fell off as I extricated it. From all appearance the terrible Sarracenia was eating its victim alive. And yet, perhaps, I should not say 'terrible,' for the plant seems to supply its victims with a Lethe-like draught before devouring them."

That Mrs. Treat -- she has a fascination with this carnivorous plant that borders on the obscene. Definitely not a strait laced Victorian.

What I'm browsing the SciAms for is diagrams and images to repurpose into all sorts of home things -- posters, decoupage plates, to iron onto table linens, etc.

The Project Gutenberg site is a bit complicated to use, but if you search for "Scientific American" you should get everything they have. For a shorter list, try "Scientific American Supplement" Don't follow the "read online" link (this forces you to page through each page, it's harder to use). Instead scroll down to the "formats available for download" section and see if there is an uncompressed HTML version (some have one, some don't). This will let you navigate either by scrolling or by using the table of contents within one large file. (It's also relatively easy to URL hack to get just a directory of images to look through. Of course, you'd miss the scientific romanticism that way...)

Finding some electrical diagrams, similar to the one shown on the Brown (a shop) post, was amazingly easy:

Remember, almost everything on Project Gutenberg is out of copyright or free, which means you can use anything you find for your personal or commercial projects.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

So I read about this shop called Brown in Domino magazine, and I thought "Hmm, it sounds like it could be steampunk." Since I was in Houston recently, I stopped by (twice, actually, since they didn't have hours on their website).

Their website describes their stock as lighting, furniture, industrial, didactic, and curiosities. There was a lot of lighting. It was very nice and very expensive, and not "raw" enough for me. There was not much industrial and the "didactic" (vintage teaching posters, mostly) leaned strong towards the biological.

That being said, there was one very steampunk find:

A French teaching poster with a voltage graph. I'd guess from around the 1930s?

Ben pointed out that for it's price of more than a thousand dollars, you could print many large format posters from images in old Scientific Americans. (More about that shortly.)

So -- if you happen to be in Houston Brown might be a good shop to stop by, but expect a store that has a little bit of steampunk tucked away in the corners instead of anything more substantial.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Ran across this table base that I thought you all would enjoy. It's described as "Industrial chrome and iron mechanical table with central wheel controlling height of top circa 1930. "

That big wheel in the center? Turn it and the table height goes up and down. Start with a sideboard. Turn -- and you've got a tall desk. Turn again -- dinner for two. Turn again -- side table.

Unfortunately, it's part of a "live auction" that is eBay enhanced. That means you can place an absentee bid via eBay. (I'm unclear on whether you can bid via eBay during the actual auction or not). If you were to win it, you'd have to arrange shipping as well. Seems a bit complicated to me, but I just liked the picture. Then again, you might just live in Philadelphia and can go to the actual auction.

We've talked about Klockwerks before, but you may not realize that Roger Wood, the artist behind Klockwerks, sends out a newsletter via email a couple times a week. Sometimes it's clocks he's built, sometimes it's finds from a fleamarket, sometimes it's something random. My favorite is when you see one week's "finds" in the next week's creations.

Today's newsletter was a coffee cupboard:

Isn't it charming?

All of Roger's clocks are fun. If you need a daily dose of steampunk whimsy in your mailbox, you should sign up for his newsletter (subscription form at the bottom of his webpage).

You may find yourself yearning after one of the clocks you see in the newsletter -- I know I have -- and yet never see it on his website. When I asked Roger about this, he said:

You're not the only one to mention that issue. Sometimes they are a commission, an order or just made on spec. Sometimes they actually do make it to the web site and other times they get snapped up quickly - yesterday's clock-on-wheels was snapped up by a gallery in Maine as soon as they saw the newsletter.If you see something that you like, let me know and if it is taken, I'll let you know if I can make one similar. My orders are almost all filled now so there should be some fun stuff happening this fall.

After moving into his new home, Dr. Rafael Fabre (who writes Voyages of a Steampunk Physician -- I particularly enjoy his Victorian Notables feature) has decided to turn his study into a "Steampunk Analytical Engine Room." Since Dr. Fabre is a dignitary in the Second Life Steampunk community, you can imagine that he will spend considerable time in this room. A good reason, I think, to invest some time and money into making it a place of comfort and charm.

Although it is still a work in progress, Dr. Fabre has agreed to share his approach with us. First (in a series) is a review of his favorite source. Since I personally am a better dreamer than executioner ;), I'm very much looking forward to see how the good doctor acts on all these ideas.

Finding items and accouterments that fit a Steampunk aesthetic is always a challenge, especially if one is trying to work on a budget. However, a few special pieces are always a nice touch if one is trying to recreate this genre.

On this note, one of my long time favorite shopping locales is the store named Design Toscano". This store specializes in “classic” designs of a variety of genres (Medieval, Roman, Gothic), mostly replica pieces. That being said, they are quite nice and unique, albeit a bit pricey for the average budget.

Steampunk-wise, there are a number of pieces that stand out in their current catalogue – any of which would be a fantastic addition to such a design plan…

Eiffel Tower PhoneThere are a number of phones available, but I had to admire the detail on this working piece, including the hand crank and ornamentation. It runs $100 USD, but is a beautiful piece.

A replica Deep Sea Diver’s helmetFor those who wish to follow what I’ve termed the “Steampunk Transportation” theme, specifically one with a nautical flavor, a Deep Sea Diver’s helmet is a must! Although I’ve found a couple on Ebay, (one full size one with brass for about $220 USD, and a half sized one for $50 USD), this might be middle ground (no brass, but full sized).

Nothing says “Victorian / Steampunk” for a gentleman, like a bulldog – especially one that is wearing a bowler and smoking a cigar! The other aspect of my “Steampunk makeover” will include cigar items -- cigar label art, a humidor, and other items -- easily available from my local metropolis. I am fortunate to already have this little fellow (a Christmas gift), but the price is minuscule as compared to the rough-hewn look of the foundry metal from which it is made.

Also, gentlemen, keep in mind, the “Dogs Playing Poker” is VERY Victorian (actually more Edwardian, as Mr. Cassius Coolidge started painting the “dogs” in the 1870’s, but in 1903 received his big break with an advertising contract) – so having a framed “A friend in need” or “His station and four aces” would be completely appropriate in my humble opinion. Toscano sells “A friend” framed for about $245 USD, but a poster version, with a nice frame works just as well (and is an excuse to get two or even three)!

Although described as being from the late 16th century, I did admire the exposed gear and cog work, along with the fact it is made of brass – making it a perfect piece for a Steampunk room. A seven-day movement will require a reminder to keep accurate, but I would argue there is nothing better than an actual working piece of equipment with exposed elements, especially if it serves a purpose. At $99 USD, it is again a bit more than the average clock, but the brass work and functionality of this piece is worth the price.

I promised Miss Sara that I would keep her informed of my “work in progress”, and once I begin the actual renovations of the “Steampunk room”, I shall keep her attuned of the changes (with pictures), along with any “discoveries” I encounter along the way.

Monday, November 12, 2007

So it's a bit late, but I wanted to show off our steampunk pumpkin from Halloween:

Although he bears an unfortunate resemblance to the Planter's Peanut Man, he is charming in his bowler (there's a pair of goggles that you can't really see perched on the bowler), mustache and monocle.

He's even more charming in the dark:

I can't take too much credit for him though -- the idea was mine, but the execution was all Ben.

I'm very pleased with how the CB2 borosilicate vases turned out (although they managed to mess up my order, sending me only 2 of the 3 long necked vases, they have since rectified the situation to my satisfaction).

A nice, scientific touch to my library/dining room.

The beaker pitcher and the hourglasses were also ordered (and the small hourglass already broken by the steampunklet, sigh), but I'm still working on where to put them, so no pictures yet.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Second, it's dangerous (I know, it's a keyboard, but this one looks like it would grab your fingers and leave them mangled if it found you trashing science fiction with it), it's made of engine parts (hex nuts for keys!), it's The Industrial.